On the afternoon of March 18, the 72 meter long, 2366 dwt cargo vessel Venture (IMO: 9030503) ran aground on the Elbe just outside of Hamburg, Germany. The Venture had suffered engine problems and went adrift. The cargo vessel drifted until its stranded in shallow water. Authorities were alerted and dispatched multiple tugs to the scene. Reports state the tugs were successful and towed the Venture back to Hamburg. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
On March 2, the 82 meter long, 1842 dwt cargo vessel H&S Wisdom (IMO: 9195559) ran aground on the Humber estuary in northern England. The H&S Wisdom was headed for the Gunness Wharf on the River Trent when the vessel made a navigational error and ended up high and dry on the mud flats. The Humber Rescue lifeboat was called out and attempted to pull the H&S Wisdom free, but were unsuccessful.
A second attempt was made the following morning. Three tugs had arrived on scene and attempted to pull the H&S Wisdom free, but they were also unsuccessful. A third attempt was made later that evening with the rising tide and it also ended in failure. Local authorities state the cargo vessel is firmly “stuck in the mud” and the vessel might be stuck there until the maximum spring tides in April.
The H&S Wisdom was designed to navigate shallow water with a draught of just 11 feet. However, an aerial inspection found the vessel is quite a distance away from water deep enough to allow it to be refloated. Authorities did state there were no injuries and no pollution has been released.
On the evening of February 21, the 88 meter long, 1460 dwt cargo vessel Birgit G (IMO: 9536064) became disabled on the North Sea off Westerhever, Germany. The vessel had suffered engine problems and dropped anchor to undergo repairs. After completing repairs, the crew requested the DGzRS to escort the cargo vessel to Büsum in case of another engine breakdown. The DGzRS deployed the search and rescue vessel Theodor Storm out of Büsum and proceeded to escort the Birgit G to port. Around 3:30 a.m. on February 22, the vessels were just 5.4 nautical miles off Büsum when the Birgit G main engine failed. The Birgit G was able to drop it’s anchor again. Later the Theodor Storm proceeded to transport technicians and inspectors to the Birgit G to assist in repairs. Reports state a tug towed the Birgit G into port the next day. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
